Trustees glad to receive assurances from council about sports centre's future (From Haringey Independent)

Trustees glad to receive assurances from council about sports centre's future

5:20pm Tuesday 21st August 2012 in News By Bruce Thain

Trustees of a community sports centre who feared they would have to close as part of regeneration plans say they are happy they have received assurances from the council about its future.

Members of the board at the Tottenham Community Sports Centre, in High Road, feared Haringey Council would want to close the centre under plans for the new Spurs stadium project around Northumberland Park.

However on Friday the Trustees received a letter from the council which stated it had no intention to interfere with the site and it was not part of the regeneration plans for Tottenham.

Chair of trustees Malcolm Springthorpe said: “We’re just happy that the council has told us its intentions.

“All we wanted was some sort of confirmation from the council about what its plans for the future were. Now we have the assurance from the council, things will be more stable and we are able to move forward.

“Before we got the letter we were worried about what would happen to of the centre. This is an important facility for the local community.

“It wasn’t just about the future of the site itself. If there was uncertainty about what was going to happen to the site then groups would be less likely to book here and it would make it harder for us to get grants for the centre.”

In a statement a council spokeswoman said: “There are no plans whatsoever to force the Tottenham Community Sports Centre to leave their premises.”

The council added the centre’s claims were scaremongering and it was “disappointing” that the trustees had chosen to issue “misleading statements” rather than talk to the council.

The centre, which opened in 1969 in the site of the former Territorial Army base, has more than 70 different clubs operating from the centre including sport, educational and faith groups.

One of the most high profile clubs run out of the centre is the Haringey Police & Community Boxing Club where Gold medal boxer Nicola Adams trained for four years before her Olympic triumph.